I have a new piece that will be at Never Ender Reno's annual Broken Hearts Collide show for the month of February. I've shown a few pieces in that space before, but was always out of town for the receptions. Timing! This time, I'm really happy to say that I will be able to be in attendance at the reception tonight. I've seen some of the pieces already and I'm excited to be a part of the show. Here is the new painting that will be on display and available for purchase.
This painting is the first of a series that I've had in my head for a while. Each piece will incorporate the heart balloon or bleeding chest motif in some way. I have several ideas for it that I'm anxious to work on, but they'll have to wait until I get through a couple of other projects I have on deck. With this painting I was trying out the broken color style that I've been using lately, but I used acrylic paint instead of oil. Oils will always be my first love but I want to be good with acrylics so bad! I keep trying with mixed results. My thoughts on this new piece are mixed as well. I really like it, but I definitely wasn't very confident going into it. The idea is strong and I like the way the colors came together, so I can still stand strongly by the finished piece. Can't wait to see it up on the wall at the show!
Nude Nite Tampa 2015
I just wanted to take the time to share that I will have two pieces shown in Tampa's annual Nude Nite event next month! It's still sinking in that I'm going to be a part of it. Nude Nite is a pop-up gallery that brings together all kinds of artists, performers and spectators for a 3-night celebration of the nude form. When I saw the call for artists, I thought that some of my work could be a good fit but I really didn't expect that I would actually get in! I'm very happy and honored to have the chance to be a part of such a huge event. Here are the pieces that will be on display at the show:
I'm definitely going to try to be there and see what they're going to have going on this year. The theme is "Extreme Dreams." Should be interesting and fun! From the looks of some of the past years' pictures and videos, they go all out. If it all works out for me to attend in-person, I'll be more than happy to report back with pictures and an official blog post on my art blog, Purple Paintbrush. So make sure to check back!
What's Bad for Your Heart...
Have you heard of this quote? I can't seem to find out whom to credit for this saying, but it's often quoted. It's speaking to the concept of turning your pain into something productive or positive. For me, obviously it would be channeling my emotions and thoughts through my artwork. Over the last few months, I've had conversations with several different people in my life that were randomly sprinkled with this particular topic. It eventually got to the point where I thought it was worth paying attention to and writing about. The idea certainly resonates with me because my own work is so personal and is pulled from a deeply emotional place within. Plus I have trended towards expressing darker emotions in my artwork within the last year.So is this concept true? Is what's bad for your heart, actually good for your art? It's a topic that makes its way to the forefront of my mind more and more these days. It's probably not a coincidence that the first four letters in "painting" spell "pain." Speaking from my own experience, I would say that there is at least some truth to the quote. I didn't become comfortable with my artistic Self or as confident with my paintings until I started digging deep and getting more in touch with the emotions and experiences that were significant to me. Lately I just happen to connect more deeply with the bad. In doing so, I also started getting stronger reactions about my work. If you think about it, a lot of famous artists in history are famous for the strife in their personal lives or expressed in their work. I don't think that's to say that "safer" art or expressing positive emotions does nothing for anyone or is unimportant. We all need that in the world. Shit, even I need a break every once in a while to make art that is just for aesthetic value and of a lighter fare. But it's my opinion that the darker stuff is more interesting, more real. I like that it's the kind of stuff that people usually don't expose about themselves, but all have dealt with in one way or another. Being open about hard times somehow allows us to connect with each other and heal together. That's a very important point to me.
So yes, I think it can be argued that what's bad for your heart is good for your art. It can be good for everyone. It's therapeutic, it's honest and it can touch others' lives. I would say to just make sure that we're also indulging in positive experiences, whether we choose to include it in our work or not, to have balance. We can't allow everything to be ALL bad. Unless you can handle it, I guess.